CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team will kick off the 2014-15 season this weekend, participating in the Purdue Fall Invitational. The Purdue Invite will run from Friday, September 19 through Sunday, September 21 with singles and doubles action taking place on all three days.
The Vikings will be one of 18 teams competing this weekend, including Horizon League opponents Green Bay and Valparaiso. For updates throughout the invite, fans are encouraged to follow Purdue Men's Tennis on Twitter (@PurdueMT), while complete daily recaps will be posted on CSUVikings.com at the end of each day.
Purdue Fall Invitational Schedule
Friday | One Round of Singles, Two Rounds of Doubles
Saturday | Two Rounds of Singles, One Round of Doubles
Sunday | Singles & Doubles Finals
*Action will start at 8:00 a.m. each day*
2014-15 Vikings
The Vikings return six letterwinners from last season's squad, including the senior quartet of Manuel Bellutti, Nolan Marks, Ali Shabib, and Jorg van der Vloet. Also returning for CSU is junior Joe VanMeter and sophomore Andre Mick.
This veteran core will be joined by three newcomers during the 2014-15 season; Colton Buffington (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake/University of Louisville), Kevin Goth (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny), and Mirko Radosevic (Miami, Fla./Coral Gables).
Viking Facts
• Junior Joe VanMeter enters the 2014 fall season on a 16-match win streak, one of just four Vikings to win at least 15 matches in a row since the 2002-03 season.
• Ali Shabib is just two singles wins away from breaking into the top-10 all-time wins list at Cleveland State, entering the weekend with 44 career victories.
• The trio of Ali Shabib (44 wins), Jorg van der Vloet (43), and Nolan Marks (43) enters the 2014-15 season within striking distance of recording their 50th career singles wins – and would become the ninth, 10th, and 11th Vikings to achieve the feat.
Head Coach Brian Etzkin
Brian Etzkin is beginning his 13th season at the helm of the Vikings, owning a 176-122 (.590) dual match record. Etzkin has guided Cleveland State to five Horizon League Tournament Championships and five trips to the NCAA Tournament. In addition, Cleveland State has won four regular season titles under Etzkin, while 13 Vikings have earned postseason honors from the Horizon League during his tenure.
